Icelandair Adds Gdansk Keflavik Flights Sep 2026
Icelandair has added its first ever scheduled route to Poland, announcing new service between Keflavík International Airport (KEF) and Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (GDN). The Icelandair Gdansk Keflavik flights are set to start September 18, 2026, with three to four flights per week operated by Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. For travelers, the practical change is a new nonstop option between northern Poland and Iceland, plus a new one stop connection path from Gdansk through Keflavik to Icelandair's North America network.
The shift matters because Icelandair's model is built around timed connecting banks at Keflavik. A new spoke like Gdansk can shorten total travel time for some Poland origin itineraries to the United States and Canada versus backtracking through larger European hubs, while also giving Iceland based travelers a more direct way to reach Poland's Baltic coast.
Who Is Affected
Travelers starting in Gdansk, Poland, or the wider Tri City region should see the biggest benefit, especially those who currently connect via Warsaw, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, or other major hubs to reach Iceland or North America. The new route also targets the sizable Polish community in Iceland by making family visits simpler, with fewer transfers and fewer points of failure on the itinerary.
Iceland based travelers gain a new city break option in northern Poland that does not require a hub connection. For North America travelers, the impact shows up mainly as new onward connectivity, because Icelandair can sell Gdansk as a one stop destination via Keflavik, sometimes with competitive pricing and reasonable total journey times depending on the bank structure.
This kind of route launch can ripple beyond the two endpoints. At the source layer, adding a new station requires aircraft rotation time, ground handling capacity, and schedule padding that fits the carrier's network plan. At the connection layer, the route's arrival and departure timing will determine whether it reliably connects to key transatlantic departures, and whether misconnections force overnight stays in Iceland. At the traveler behavior layer, even a small increase in one stop options can shift demand away from competing hubs, which can change fare dynamics and seat availability on adjacent routings.
For context on the airport Icelandair uses as its connecting hub, see Keflavík International Airport (KEF). For a related example of how Keflavik connections are being positioned for North America travelers, see Alaska Airlines Adds Seattle Reykjavik Flights for Summer 2026.
What Travelers Should Do
If you are traveling on or shortly after September 18, 2026, watch for the initial timetable, operating days, and connection banks, then build your itinerary around legal connections on a single ticket. With three to four weekly flights, missed departures can push you to the next operating day, so plan buffers for weddings, cruises, and prepaid tours, and avoid separate ticket self connections unless you can absorb an overnight.
If you are choosing between waiting and rebooking, use frequency and seasonality as your threshold. When a route is less than daily, the cost of disruption is higher, so travelers with inflexible dates should prioritize routings with daily alternates, or add a planned stopover in Iceland to reduce same day pressure. If your trip is flexible, the new service can be worth it for fewer transfers, but confirm that your inbound and outbound days align with the published operating pattern.
Over the next 24 to 72 hours after schedules and sales open, monitor three things, fare inventory on the nonstop versus one stop competitors, minimum connection times at Keflavik for your specific bank, and aircraft type swaps that can change seating and baggage allowances. Also keep an eye on the extended Geneva winter schedule if you are pairing Poland travel with Switzerland, because seasonal capacity shifts can affect the broader availability of connections through Iceland during peak winter weeks.
Background
Icelandair runs a hub and spoke network centered on Keflavik, using coordinated arrival and departure banks that allow short connections between Europe and North America. When the airline adds a new European city, it is not just adding a point to point flight, it is also adding more potential connection flows through the hub, which can improve overall aircraft utilization while offering travelers new one stop city pairs.
For travelers, the key operational implication is that the hub bank timing matters as much as the nonstop segment. A well timed arrival from Gdansk can connect to multiple North America departures with a manageable layover, but a poorly timed arrival may force long waits or overnighting. That is why booking as a protected through itinerary is important, because it keeps you in the airline's reaccommodation workflow if a delay breaks the connection.